Ford has been hyping
its Fiesta subcompact for quite some time now. The American auto
giant has been previewing European versions of the vehicle across the
country for the past year and has blitzed the airwaves with Fiesta
"commercials" during American Idol.

For those that like to row their own
gears, mileage isn't quite as impressive. Fiestas equipped with a
manual transmission will only get 28 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on
the highway.

For comparison, the most efficient
versions of the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris are rated at 28/35
(city/highway) and 28/36 respectively.

"The new Fiesta is yet another car
in Ford's lineup that delivers class-leading fuel economy," said
Barb Samardzich, vice president, Global Powertrain Engineering. "From
Super Duty to Fusion Hybrid and the new Mustang V-6, Ford is
committed to fuel economy leadership with every new vehicle it
introduces in all segments."

"We worked hard to deliver the
class-leading fuel economy Ford is becoming synonymous for,"
said Fiesta chief nameplate engineer Steve Pintar. "To be the
only vehicle in the segment to deliver 40 mpg is something we feel
consumers will appreciate."

Pricing for the Fiesta starts at
$13,320 for the base sedan and creeps all the way up to $18,190 for
an SES hatchback equipped with the PowerShift transmission. All
versions of the Fiesta are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder
engine that provides 120 hp and generates 109 lb-ft of torque.

The current four-cylinder engine is
expected to be replaced shortly with a three-cylinder
EcoBoost engine which should further increase fuel economy both
in the city and on the highway.

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